Posts Tagged ‘knit picks’

I’d figured out about a month ago that the log cabin blanket would be bigger than your usual baby blanket. OK, I figured it as soon as I started. The pattern is called Log Cabin Throw — no mention of “baby” at all.

One of the marvelous things about babies is that they grow. Baby Sawyer was born about two months ago, but I’ll get to meet him later this week. Someday he’ll be big enough to wrap this blanket around himself. Until then, his loving mama and papa can snuggle up with him.

Although it’s not my first choice, I used acrylic yarn for this blanket. I figure — and really hope — this gets many years of use and want to be sure it survives regular washings.

Like this:

Since it’s now too big to be a traveling project, the Log Cabin Throw hasn’t been getting much attention lately. Every day, I tuck my latest sock into my bag as I head to Mom’s home and spend at least a few hours knitting.

She’ll often knit her latest garter stitch scarf or will putter about the apartment or go through the mail. Like many things in her life these days, the mail is both a burden and a routine that brings consistency to her otherwise confusing world.

Although it’s nearly all fundraising appeals, she often reads each piece, not comprehending much of it, before either tearing it into small pieces for recycling or “responding” by placing the appeal letter into the reply envelope and tracing the stamp location with an orange marker.

I remind myself often these days that many of her actions are her way of exerting control over what she can control, even if the action doesn’t really make much sense to me.

The intended recipient of the Log Cabin Throw was born about 10 days ago. I have it from very good sources that he is absolutely lovely. Hannah, who held him in his second day of life, declared him “flawless.”

He’s got lots of growing to do, and the throw, modeled here in the cool spring sunshine, will get there eventually.

Like this:

As I ripped out the heel and attempted gusset of the Frasier Fir sock for the third time yesterday, I had some serious doubts about my professed desire to learn new techniques.

I’d looked at several videos — multiple times each — in my attempt to figure out how the whole toe-up wrap-and-turn heel was constructed. When my third attempt at the wrap-and-turn yielded an uncentered heel, it clearly was time for a break.

The log cabin blanket is growing nicely as is the recipient, a baby-to-be who’s expected to arrive next month.

The mindless back and forth of the garter stitch was just what I needed.

At first, all seemed to be going well as I cast on the top-down Garter Yoke Baby Cardi — although I decided pretty quickly that I’d skip the garter yoke part. I just didn’t like the way the color transitions looked in garter stitch.

So I switched to stockinette stitch and began the increases — adding a stitch on the outer side of each of the 8 markers.

As I’d expected, as the sweater got bigger, with more stitches in each row, the stripes got thinner. That seemed OK at first, but then the stripes started to look really wonky — at one point, not even extending all the way across the width of the sweater.

See what I mean?

That just wouldn’t do — at least, as far as I’m concerned.

So I ripped it out and went in search of a new pattern, one that’s knit in pieces (front sides, back, separate sleeves) and then stitched together. I think I’ve found one in Patches Baby Sweater. But the library won’t have the book for me until tomorrow, so I can’t be sure.

In the meantime, I’ve been knitting a baby blanket for a different Baby-to-Be who’s due to arrive in a couple of months: the Log Cabin Throw from Knit Picks.

To be completely candid (and why not be completely candid?), I cast on the first sock in late December but discovered after a few inches that I’d selected a too-large needle. So I ripped it all out, switched to size 1 (2.25mm), and began again. This time I’m using double-pointed needles, which I’ve learned that I prefer to the Magic Loop method. I find the DPNs faster to work with — no fiddly shifting of stitches and moving of the cable.

Do you have a preference for circular knitting? DPNs? two circulars? Magic Loop?

Like this:

After promising an update when I finished my second Chromatic Cowl, I completely forgot to post the finished product!

In the intervening week or two since my back seat knitting, I completed the cowl and grafted the two ends together with the Kitchener stitch. I must be doing something wrong with my provisional cast-on because I ended up with an uneven number of stitches — fewer on the provisional/waste yarn end. However, I cast on one a couple and grafted.

Blocking, as usual, was a tepid bath in the sink.

Drying this airy creation took only a couple of hours. Although I’m not thrilled with the similar color values of the dark gray and hunter green, I love the gradual colors changes.

Like this:

From the moment Rachel walked into my knitting class wearing her Chromatic Cowl, I knew I had to make one — or two. “Gossamer” was the word that popped into my head when I felt the soft, fluffy lightness of this cleverly designed infinity scarf.

According to Merriam Webster: gossamer: (1) a film of cobwebs floating in air in calm clear weather; (2) something light, delicate, or insubstantial. I prefer definition #2 but quibble with the “insubstantial” bit.

It’s knit with three strands of Aloft, an airy blend of mohair and silk from Knit Picks. The gentle shifting of color occurs when a single strand is used up and you add another. For example, 3 strands of purple becomes 2 strands of purple and 1 lavender. When the next purple is used up, you knit with 1 purple and 2 lavender. Then 3 lavender, then 2 lavender and 1 gray, etc.

Being a fan of purple, I made one in lavender, purple, and silver gray. Here blocking on a dish towel. I wasn’t thrilled with the unevenness of the color shifts, the result of my rather haphazard divvying up of the yarn skeins. But overall, I’m very pleased.

So pleased that I soon cast on another in green hues for my favorite red head. I borrowed Marcia’s kitchen scale to measure the weight (in grams) for the various balls.

I didn’t finish in time for Christmas nor have I finished it yet. But I made some good progress while riding in the backseat as we drove north for a few days of skiing. I’m not a very good passenger, especially when the driver is one of my children and the weather is messy, so knitting really helped me stay calm.

I’m nearly finished and will have an update after I graft the two ends together.